Post Services, Customs and... A Ruined Birthday!

(Dark Elf)

To my great disappointment, my birthday gifts had been returned to sender. What exactly happened is:

a. An incompetent office employee that mistook the gift for a merchandise.

b. A greedy commie govt. in Greece that supposedly "cares for the poor" and yet taxes a CD with $150 and make citizens run at 100 offices just to receive a birthday gift from a friend.

Even if it was really a merchandise, it would make no sense to tax a CD with $150.

Breakdown of receipts:
   Card                                                                              -   $4.79
   Great Historical Coincidences (book)                           -   $7.98
   Physical Graffiti Deluxe Edition (Led Zeppelin CD)  -    $21 99
   Celebration Day (Led Zeppelin CD)                            -   $19.99
TOTAL for gifts:                                                                $54.75                                     

"Commie bastard" was a cold war USA - supposed - exaggeration for communists. In this case, I tell ya, it PERFECTLY fits. A $55 value is taxed with $150... almost three times leaving aside that it's a GATT violation (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) ...

(Lady Caer Morganna):

I was told by Mike, the owner of  'Mail n Ship 4 U' (which was the facility that I used and have always used), that with customs you can mail, for example, five packages and never have an issue but the sixth one that you send you could because it depends upon the customs agent and IF they SO choose to put a tax on it or not even if the items have no financial value. I have sent many other packages before to Greece over the past year or so with no problem what-so-ever and, trust me, what this customs agent pulled was EXTORTION pure and simple! Because of this particular brand of a-hole, I had to make a whole lot of phone calls between Fed Ex and "Mail n Ship 4 U" (which I am STILL struggling with!) in order to have the items returned to the States (which should NEVER have been taxed again in the first place by Greek officials), AND all for items which cost me under a total of $60.00 to purchase BEFORE the outrageous shipping cost of $117.00! Dark Elf is indeed correct, these people are blatantly corrupt as all hell (and to think that they actually get away with it)! In my opinion, they are nothing short of disgusting crooks.

UPDATE to this post as of March 10, 2017 ... (Lady Caer Morganna)  :)

I checked update on Fed Ex website with my tracking number and noticed it said that the package was in transit (“International shipment release – Import”). I immediately contacted Fed Ex again and spoke to a man named Diego who looked into the Fed Ex system notes and said that the package is already being processed for abandonment and will not be shipped back to the States as per my request. He informed me that I (via Mike) may or may not receive an invoice for the 50 euros Greece would charge to KEEP the package! 

(Dark Elf): They can keep wanting. We aren't going to pay... :)